Soap 101

Soap 101

from Becky

We hit a tough topic last week with EMF. I was surprised at how little feedback there was. Did it get chucked in the “too hard” basket, or you guys feeling pretty sorted on this topic?

I decided we’d better lighten it up because as of today, December 1, we’re on the downhill run to Christmas. I saw the first pohutakawas starting to flower this weekend. In spirit of beautiful things, Leanne gives us a story of soapmaking. And I will say, if you like nice soaps, Leanne’s handmade creations are glorious.

In health, Becky

Soap 101

by Leanne Martell

Soap is something we don’t think much about really. We take it for granted. We hop in the shower in the morning and there it is. We wash with it, it circles down the drain, and away we go for the day. But it is really quite an amazing thing. Whether you use a shower gel or handmade soap, there are so many options! Being a soap maker, I thought that I would introduce you to what soap is, and a little bit about how it is made. Of course, I can only talk about natural soap. I do not claim to know much about the process of making synthetic products with Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), and so I will stick to what I know.

Firstly soap, well natural soap, is simply made up of oil. Funny that, because most of what we are trying to wash OFF our skin is dirt and oil, which has accumulated throughout the day. But there it is, just oil. The oil needs to be broken down into parts, glycerine and fatty esters, and to do that we need to put the oil under stress or use a catalyst to break the oil apart. For this I use sodium hydroxide – yes, the same thing we clean our drains with! It is a harsh chemical that will burn you, strip the flesh off your bones, clean your goopy drains and reach scorching temperatures when added to water. Believe me when I tell you it hurts like crazy if you get a grain of it stuck underneath your fingernail!

WHAT – that’s in my SOAP?! Yes, it’s true! But when the sodium hydroxide has done its job, it’s gone. Just like the cleaners who come in, if you are lucky enough to have some! They swoop in while you are not looking, organise and clean your house, put everything where it should be…. and disappear without a trace. That’s exactly what the sodium hydroxide is like. It swoops in, organises the oils, puts them in the right places, and leaves without a trace (* if the soap is made correctly! Soap that is made incorrectly can contain traces of sodium hydroxide, which can burn the skin. Each oil requires a different amount of catalyst to break it apart and care should be taken if endeavoring to make natural soap on your own.)

What is left is re-organised oil. It will have a slightly higher pH level than your skin, so it can remove oil and grease and dirt from the surface of your skin. But it also contains the natural glycerine from the oils to ensure your skin can recover from being cleaned, and restore its own very clever protection system (the sebum).

Now, the oils chosen to make a bar of soap vary. Almost ANY oil can be used and they all help to create a different soap experience. For example, a soap made ONLY of olive oil (Castile Soap) will have virtually NO lather, whereas a soap made ONLY of coconut oil will lather EVEN in salt water. And here’s a funny fact… did you know that if you have too much coconut oil in your soap it will actually dry your skin out? So getting the balance of oils right in a bar of soap is not as easy as just saying, I love a rich, bubbly lather so let’s use mostly coconut oil! You CAN have too much of a good thing. Another very important thing to do when creating a wonderful bar of soap is allowing some of the oils you use to remain whole by not breaking down ALL the oil. We call this superfatting and it helps to leave your skin soft and smooth without that drying or tight feeling effect of some harsher cleansers.
So, next time you hop into the shower, spare a thought for the humble bar of soap. It is likely to be the only thing that touches every single inch of your skin, which is your largest organ! And it is something you most likely use EVERY day!

Leanne Martell

Leanne Martell is the founder and creative muse behind Feel at Home. She lives on the Hibiscus Coast with her husband, 3 boys and 2 dogs, where she runs her business, loves to cook and enjoys nothing more than walking on the beach! Leanne’s background is in the Complimentary Health professions, working in the regulatory board for Chiropractors in British Columbia; organizing the Continuing Education for them in the areas of Aromatherapy, Modalities, and Massage Therapy. A passion for the natural, combined with the desire for the indulgent has led her to create a range of soaps and skincare products to meet both of those needs using only pure essential oils, local organically grown and ethical imported oils. It is not just about what we use on our skin, it’s also about how we MAKE what goes on our skin, how it affects our environment, our global community. I want to make products that are safe for our skin, and respectful of our earth, but I also want to feel indulged, and beautiful. I don’t believe these are mutually exclusive! I believe that true beauty comes from confidence, and that comes from being able to Feel at Home with who we are.

From You

In response to our Facebook question, “have you changed anything about the way your house is set up or how the kids use their phones in the past week?”

“I unplugged my electric blanket from the wall and will remove it completely when I change the sheets. The other thing I did was to get landline numbers for people and call them back or to keep any cell phone calls really brief.” Jules, Whangarei

p.s.

In the final analysis, the hope of every person is simply peace of mind. Dalai Lama

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